Discovery is not for us

Yes I know that Discovery is not the most expensive cruise on the planet and its a case of buyer beware!

Should have realised when we got to Harwich and were confronted by an open empty huge tin shed to which we were directed to check in that this was to set the tone for the whole cruise.

Buy your own tea and coffee while you wait!

Cheap and cheerful doesn't cover it really. Our cabin was fine - enough space and our cabin steward was great even if his English wasn't very fluent.Most of the crew are either from India or eastern block countries and many complain of long hours and little time off. Bar staff especially seem overworked and at times homesick.Best bits? Richard and his wonderful entertainment team.

Worst bits - 1.The dreadful Lido Restaurant that has little to recommend it. Lack of utensils, cups and mugs at meal times. Smoking areas near to the tables inside of the Lido Restaurant.2. Overall the quality of the More
food and very mundane menu even in the 7 continents restaurant.3 Poor excursions that are overpriced and not worth it.4. How can the ship make up 2 hours when they are heading for Russia through rough seas but are unable to make up an hour and a half to Germany from Poland so that the Berlin trips were abandoned?5. Overpriced drinks - even the bottled water in the cabin was charged at £2:20 a litre - the water from the taps is heavily chlorinated, like drinking swimming pool water.6. Intrusive photographers who patrol the dining rooms, go on excursions and are a general nuisance.

Need I go on? We enjoyed the time we spent in St Petersburg but the others were cut short ie Gdansk or abandoned due to time constraints.Well it was an experience I guess and the crew were lovely friendly and tried hard to make the trip a happy one.Don't book is my advice - its worth upgrading to a better type of cruise and paying a bit extra Less

Cabin review: Discovery

Happy with our cabin.It was the standard size and had porthole windows. It was amidships so more stable when the ship rocked about. Good hanging space, room for cases. Twin beds reasonably wide and quite comfortable. Plenty of drawer space. Quiet part of the ship. It was clean and appeared well maintained. The bathroom had enough space with a good shower giving plenty of hot water. Would suggest you take your own toiletries though, ones supplied are not good!In the unlikely event of us using Discovery again,would book this cabin.